EasyJet flight attendants reveal the ‘secret’ hand codes they use on board

EVER caught side of a flight attendant doing some odd arm moves and wondered what they’re doing?

It turns out cabin crew have a range of secret arm codes to communicate with each other in front of passengers.

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EasyJet’s flight attendants even filmed a video explaining what they all mean.

In order to communicate to colleagues at the opposite end of the plane, workers are taught signs for “get the champagne – there’s been a proposal” as well as more standard requests like “tomato soup”.

Although rarely seen, these gestures are taught to staff when they train to fly with easyJet.

The YouTube video posted by the airline also revealed that colleagues can also secretly tell each other a stag party is on board.

Despite few passengers having seen these secret codes, it has been revealed that the sign for a bacon baguette involves pressing ones nose up to look like a pig while signalling the number of snacks required.

The sign for tomato soup is a little more basic and is simply a “T” made with the hands.

Various staff on the video explain: “easyJet serve over 6million customers per month, we need out inflight service to be quick and efficient to ensure we deliver excellent customer service.

“To do this we have developed some secret hand signals to enable the crew to communicate with each other during the inflight service minimising unnecessary chatter.”

Cabin crew don’t just have hand signals though, they also use a range of secret words to communicate on board. Read on to find out more…

Dead-heading

This is when a cabin crew member travels as a passenger, but in uniform, as they prepare to join up with a service in another airport.

The flight attendant would say they are “dead-heading” to their destination.

Gash

This is a combination of the words garbage and trash and refers to litter.

Cabin crew will have a “gash cart” in which they will put all the “gash” that they have collected.

Dairy fairy

Following a meal service on flights, a tea and coffee service is very common.

The dairy fairy will be the person responsible for bringing out a tray of extra milk, sugar and stirrers.

Tom Cruise

“Tom Cruise” is often used by cabin crew before a flight, but is nothing to do with the celebrity himself.

Ben McFarlane, a flying doctor and author, explained to the Mail Online that it means something else entirely – and nothing glamorous at all.

He said: “It’s cabin crew code to work out which of the identical pots on the trolley contains coffee and which contains tea.

If ‘Tom Cruise is on board’ then crew are following T&C positions that day. Tea, Tom, is in the pot on the left of the cart.

“Coffee, Cruise, is in the identical pot on the right.”

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